1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a method and an apparatus for preserving cigars (as well as other tobacco-based products) and bottled or similarly packed beverages at the same time, which is intended for private use, ie. for use not only in a private home or dwelling, including a hotel room, but also in restricted-access premises, admittance to which is restricted to persons of known identity and/or bound by statutory ties, such as for instance a club of cigar smoking persons.
2. Description of Related Art
The optimum storage conditions for tobacco-based products required to ideally preserve the characteristics that are the most appreciated and valued ones by the consumers, starting from the scent thereof, are largely known to impose accurately controlled values of both temperature and relative humidity. On the other hand, there is currently no knowledge of the existence or availability of functional apparatuses, and not simple containers, which are adapted to ensure such optimum storage conditions even throughout longer periods of time. Known is on the contrary the existence of refrigerating apparatuses for bottled or canned beverages, which are commonly known as mini-bars and are traditionally not very much cared of under either the functional aspect or the aesthetical one.
It therefore is a main purpose of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which there is generated a forced flow of air that is kept at the desired conditions of temperature and relative humidity in view of being able to store in a first compartment beverages held in a sealed container (such as in particular wine in bottles), or possibly even other fresh food products, cooled down at temperatures that are lower than the ambient temperature, but anyway higher than 0xc2x0 C., and tobacco-based products in a subsequent compartment, communicating with said first one, at a correct value of relative humidity to preserve their characteristics.
Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.